Quick answer. Below is Minnesota's statutory certificate wording, act by act. We show five forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing and attestation of a copy of a document. There is no fixed remote sentence in the sources we read.
Which Minnesota certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Minnesota source |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment (individual) | The signer declares that the signature on the document is theirs and that they signed willingly. No oath is given. Deeds, powers of attorney and many contracts use it. | Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(1) |
| Acknowledgment (representative capacity) | Like an acknowledgment, but the signer signs for someone else: a company, a trust, a partnership, or a principal under a power of attorney. The certificate names the capacity and the party represented. | Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(2) |
| Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) | The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true, and signs in front of you. Affidavits and other sworn statements use it. | Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(3) |
| Signature witnessing | You watch the signer sign and confirm who they are. There is no oath, and the signer does not need to state that the contents are true. | Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(4) |
| Attestation of a copy of a document | You certify that a copy is a true copy of an original presented to you, only for documents your state lets notaries copy (vital records and recorded documents are usually excluded). | Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(5) |
Minnesota certificate wording
Acknowledgment (individual) Statutory wording
The signer declares that the signature on the document is theirs and that they signed willingly. No oath is given. Deeds, powers of attorney and many contracts use it.
State of __________
County of __________
This instrument was acknowledged before me on ..........(date) by ....................(name(s) of individual(s)).
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Stamp)
____________________ Title (and Rank)
My commission expires: ____________
Acknowledgment (representative capacity) Statutory wording
Like an acknowledgment, but the signer signs for someone else: a company, a trust, a partnership, or a principal under a power of attorney. The certificate names the capacity and the party represented.
State of __________
County of __________
This instrument was acknowledged before me on ..........(date) by ....................(name(s) of individual(s)) as ........................................(type of authority, e.g., officer, trustee, etc.) of ...............................................(name of party on behalf of whom the instrument was executed).
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Stamp)
____________________ Title (and Rank)
My commission expires: ____________
Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) Statutory wording
The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true, and signs in front of you. Affidavits and other sworn statements use it.
State of __________
County of __________
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on .........(date) by ...................(name(s) of individual(s) making statement).
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Stamp)
____________________ Title (and Rank)
My commission expires: ____________
Signature witnessing Statutory wording
You watch the signer sign and confirm who they are. There is no oath, and the signer does not need to state that the contents are true.
State of __________
County of __________
Signed or attested before me on ..........(date) by ....................(name(s) of individual(s)).
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Stamp)
____________________ Title (and Rank)
My commission expires: ____________
Attestation of a copy of a document Statutory wording
You certify that a copy is a true copy of an original presented to you, only for documents your state lets notaries copy (vital records and recorded documents are usually excluded).
State of __________
County of __________
I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a document in the possession of __________.
Dated: __________
____________________ (Signature of notarial officer)
(Stamp)
____________________ Title (and Rank)
My commission expires: ____________
Remote and electronic acts in Minnesota
Minnesota has alternate statutory forms for a remote online notarization in Minn. Stat. 358.66(b), which say the record was acknowledged, sworn to or attested by use of communication technology and, for a signer outside the United States, record where the signer declared they were located. Minn. Stat. 358.645 requires the certificate to include a notation that the notarization is a remote online notarization. We could not transcribe the full 358.66(b) table from the official page, so the pack points you to the statute for that form rather than retyping it. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes, checked November 7, 2026)
What a Minnesota certificate must contain
- Every notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate executed at the same time as the act (contemporaneously). (Minn. Stat. 358.65, subd. 1; Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- The certificate is signed and dated by the notarial officer; a notary public's signature must match the one on file with the commissioning office. (Minn. Stat. 358.65, subd. 1; Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- It identifies the jurisdiction where the act is performed (the State and County lines), contains your title of office, and gives your commission expiration date. (Minn. Stat. 358.65, subd. 1; Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- On a paper (tangible) record, a notary public's official stamp must be affixed to the certificate. (Minn. Stat. 358.65, subd. 2; Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- For a remote online notarization, the certificate must include a notation that the notarization is a remote online notarization. (Minn. Stat. 358.645; Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
Common Minnesota certificate mistakes
Our plain-English summary of what the official sources warn about; the source follows each one.
- Filling in the certificate later. Chapter 358 requires it to be executed at the time of the act. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- Leaving out the commission expiration date or your title; both are required parts of the certificate. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- Forgetting the official stamp on a paper record. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- Using a jurat (signed and sworn to) when the signer is only acknowledging a signature, or the reverse. The two forms record different acts. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
- Leaving the remote online notarization notation off the certificate for a remote act. (Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes)
The Minnesota certificate wording pack
$15 one time. The wording on this page is public law and stays free here; the pack is the fill-in files and the organizing.
- A one-page "which certificate do I use?" chart for Minnesota: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Minnesota wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Minnesota certificate must contain (venue, seal, commission details).
- Fill-in certificates in Word, one per page, with matching PDFs, so you can attach a loose certificate when a document needs one.
- A common-mistakes checklist from the official sources: five items for Minnesota, each with its source.
See the Minnesota certificate wording pack
Sources
- Minnesota Statutes chapter 358 (2026), Office of the Revisor of Statutes (checked November 7, 2026)
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Notaries follow their own state's law and the official handbook, and the receiving office decides what it accepts, so nothing here guarantees a document will be accepted. The Minnesota Secretary of State, notary commissions has the final word on Minnesota practice.
Minnesota certificate questions
What is the Minnesota acknowledgment certificate wording?
Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(1) gives: "State of __________ County of __________ This instrument was acknowledged before me on ..........(date) by ....................(name(s) of individual(s))." It closes with (Signature of notarial officer), (Stamp) and Title (and Rank).
What is the Minnesota jurat wording?
Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(3) gives: "State of __________ County of __________ Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on .........(date) by ...................(name(s) of individual(s) making statement)." Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Minnesota notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. Minn. Stat. 358.66(a)(5) gives: "State of __________ County of __________ I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a document in the possession of __________. Dated: __________"
What else must a Minnesota notarial certificate show?
Every notarial act must be evidenced by a certificate executed at the same time as the act (contemporaneously). The certificate is signed and dated by the notarial officer; a notary public's signature must match the one on file with the commissioning office.
Is there a Minnesota remote notarization statement?
Minnesota has alternate statutory forms for a remote online notarization in Minn. Stat. 358.66(b), which say the record was acknowledged, sworn to or attested by use of communication technology and, for a signer outside the United States, record where the signer declared they were located. Minn. Stat. 358.645 requires the certificate to include a notation that the notarization is a remote online notarization. We could not transcribe the full 358.66(b) table from the official page, so the pack points you to the statute for that form rather than retyping it.
Who decides which Minnesota certificate to use?
The person asking for the notarization, or whoever drafted the document, tells you which notarial act they need; a notary who isn't an attorney shouldn't choose it for them. If a document has no certificate, follow the Minnesota Secretary of State, notary commissions's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
Related: All states · Becoming a notary in Minnesota · Notary work in Minnesota · Maine certificate wording · Missouri certificate wording